It is known to treat threads or yarns of synthetic fibers with a lubricant that contains substances fatty or waxy substance in order to improve the handling ability and to maintain the softness and suppleness of the fabrics that are woven of such synthetic fibers. The resulting coating on the yarns or threads is referred to as an avivage coating.
When such threads or yarns are used as weft threads for producing of special fabrics on air nozzle looms, it has been found that the air insertion impulses emanating from the insertion nozzles for carrying the weft thread through the weft thread insertion channel in the reed, removes avivage particles from the surface of the weft thread. These particles have a tendency to attach themselves to the reed dents and to even enter into the spacings between neighboring reed dents.
As a result of such transfer of the lubricant from the weft threads onto and into the reed, the reed dents themselves have an avivage coating after a certain operational time of the loom has passed. This fact is undesirable because it negatively influences the aerodynamic characteristics of the reed, especially in the area where the reed dents form the weft insertion channel, thereby in turn negatively influencing the transport characteristics of the weft insertion in the air insertion channel.
It has further been found in practice that the avivage coating on the reed dents becomes tacky, whereby the warp threads may be damaged, and whereby the proper weft insertion is hindered.
German Patent Publication DE-OS 2,615,483 (Schreus) discloses an apparatus for cleaning weaving reeds by using a tool with a plurality of knife blades that are inserted into the spaces between neighboring reed dents. The tool cooperates with a solvent dispensed through a pipe. The dispensed solvent that has taken up avivage, is collected in a trough positioned below the reed. The inserted knife blades are moved along the entire effective length of the reed dents, or rather along the reed pass. The quantity of the solvent or cleaning liquid used will depend on the extent of the soiling of the reed dents. The just described reed cleaner has the disadvantage that the cleaning knives must be precisely inserted into the very narrow gaps between neighboring reed dents without damaging the reed dents in order to assure a proper mechanical removal of the avivage. Damage to the reed dents must be avoided because damaged reed dents interfere with a proper guiding of the warp threads and may even damage the warp threads.
It is further known from European Patent Publication EP 0,128,256 A1 (Kaegi) to use a cleaning brush for removing avivage or other contaminations such as lint, etc. from the reed dents. The cleaning brush is mounted on a carriage which in turn can travel along tracks or guides alongside the reed. The brushes are rotating while the carriage travels along the reed. The cleaning apparatus must be adapted to the particular type of loom so that the proper travel along the loom reed is possible.
European Patent Publication EP 0,413,444 A1 (Long et al.) based on U.S. Ser. No. 393,892, filed in the USA on Aug. 15, 1989 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,441) discloses an apparatus with a cleaning head that blows a cleaning foam onto the reed teeth and through the spaces between the reed teeth. The foam or foaming agent dislodges lint, dust and the like, and the dislodged dirt carried by the foam is sucked back through the spaces between the dents and directed so as to be collected in a container that travels along the reed together with the cleaning head. A removal of the reed from the loom is not necessary. Similarly, the warp threads do not have to be removed from the reed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,244,504 (Watson) discloses a loom reed cleaning method and apparatus in which high pressure air blows lint, dust and so forth away from the reed, whereby again the cleaning mechanism travels along the reed on wheels including lateral guide wheels. The apparatus includes a suction channel on the back side of the reed to take up any dislodged reed soiling elements.
All the above described devices and methods of the prior art aim at cleaning the reed teeth after a weaving sequence has been completed in order to remove the contaminations that have been accumulated during the weaving sequence. As a result, the weaving of the loom must be stopped for the cleaning operation, which is dead time as far as the actual weaving of fabric is concerned. All known devices cannot be used during actual weaving. Further, the known methods and devices are not suitable for use in air nozzle looms which use weft threads that have been treated with so-called avivage to form the above mentioned surface coatings. In addition to the above reasons for the treatment of the weft threads with an avivage coating, it was also intended to minimize the contamination of the reed, e.g. by reducing the formation of lint. However, it has been found that the avivage itself contaminates the reed teeth and the prior art has no Solution for this problem.